The Sith Civil War
by Blashyrk
Summary: Months after Darth Revan's departure, the fragile Sith alliance is falling apart. His Dark Jedi companions battle the heirs of Exar Kun and other ambitious factions for control over the crumbling Empire in the Outer Rim, while the battered Galactic Republic is catching its breath attempting to rebuild, and the scattered Jedi cling to the hope of saving the galaxy from darkness.
1. Chapter 1 - Bastila I

_Sith flagship_ Cybros _, in orbit over Ziost_

After Revan had killed Malak two years ago he hadn't received the respect he deserved from his underlings. They questioned he was really Revan, they thought him weak for having been kept captive so long by the Jedi and taking Bastila as a lover after.

He let the voices rise against him, and then after a couple months he taught all of the Sith a lesson in obedience. He hunted and rooted out all the traitors, cravens and deviants from all corners of the Empire, one by one, and brought them to Lehon. There he fed the Sith Lords to the Star Forge, and had all their followers and entire power base burned at the stake and their charred remnants given to the native Rakatans. It wasn't long before the latter recognized Revan as their Dark God of death and eventually the rest of the Sith Empire followed. Around the Temple of the Ancients the ocean had turned red with blood, and even after returning months later the stench of burned flesh still filled the air.

Revan then resumed his war with the Republic for a year. They had grown bold while he was busy pacifying the empire, even reversing a number of conquests, but that did them little good. He led a large two-pronged attack towards Commenor that led to Manaan being completely encircled, thus cutting the Republic Core Worlds from their supply of kolto as well as the heavily industrial Hutt Space supplying critical machine parts to the Republic Army. Given time, it should have been enough to let the Republic collapse, but he preferred to offer them a generous peace treaty. The Republic had to recognize responsibility in the war and to surrender the remaining Jedi to Revan, as well as a number of traitors that impeded him during the Mandalorian War. Needless to say, their fate was not kind.

Revan's reasoning was that it didn't matter if the Empire gobbled the Republic or not; once all Jedi were dead, the Galaxy was his. Still, the Republic did not uphold completely their end of the bargain. Many Jedi Masters who had stayed hidden in the temples during the conflict managed to escape. There were some Sith Lords who suggested to resume the war over this. Revan ignored them; instead, he sent specifically-trained Sith assassins throughout the Republic, and before long only a hundred Jedi in the entire galaxy were left unaccounted for.

Then, at the height of his power, he left. He left Bastila and their baby daughter for the Unknown Regions, looking to settle the score with an old enemy, with nothing but a stealth corvette, the Ebon Hawk, a handful of droids and a crew of trusted companions. Now, half a year after Darth Revan was last seen, his Empire was tearing itself apart.

He lives still, Bastila knew. But the Sith think he won't return, so they started fighting among themselves; the Moffs appointed to rule star systems and sectors now pride themselves feudal lords; and the remaining fleet commanders have turned to piracy along the trading lanes; all the while the Republic was reorganizing and rebuilding its forces under their nose. The more she thought about it, the more it disgusted her. Revan had named her Darth Sunder, the Potentate of the Empire in his absence, but with him gone that did her little good. She wasn't of the Jedi that followed Revan to war nor did she train at Exar Kun's academy, and those who did put forth their claim to take her place. She didn't have many allies in the small council to begin with, so all of her decision in the past months had been overturned or simply ignored.

When she dissolved it the attempts on her life began. As the fools found out, Bastila was strong, she may even be the strongest Sith after Revan. She wasn't a fool, though. Malak had made such a fool of himself that when Darth Revan returned to his Empire he had the favor and loyalty of most Sith on his side. That wasn't her case, and there was no way Bastila was going to succeed against the rest of the Sith Order leagued against her. Two months ago, she had to flee Korriban for the fortress world of Ziost, with what remained of her few loyal servants.

There was Lord Rozius, which Revan named to help her rule. She had known him as a lightsaber instructor when she had been a Jedi on Dantooine, and he was one of the first Jedi to follow Revan to war against the Mandalorians. He was far too cautious and diplomatic for Bastila's taste, and second-guessed every one of her decisions. He had been loyal and did what he could to stop civil war so far though, but she guessed that it was only because if Darth Revan's word was no longer law then he had no more legitimacy leading the Sith than her.

Second was Lekuul, another former Jedi, a near-human from Arkania. He was a cyborg, almost half droid, having been wounded and captured by the Sith during the war and talked into joining them. He wasn't very intelligent or subtle, but he had an impressive photographic memory, and he knew his way around droids. For now, he was her spymaster, and perhaps the only one she trusted in the lot.

Last was 'Master' Yuthuran Ban. When Bastila arrived on Korriban they became friends. Back then she had been the second in command at the Academy, and Revan had tasked them to give the students elements of Jedi training, so they could be more efficient against them. That didn't sit well with her master, Uthar Wynn, whatever the reason. He had been one of the first to rebel openly against Bastila and he'd been the first to be crushed and devoured by her pet, Tektak the Terentatek.

Yuthura had been a great ally and mentor, and possibly for that reason Rozius and Lekuul came to hate her with passion. They claimed she had been manipulating Bastila all along, and now it was only a matter of time before she turned against them in her quest for more power. They had no proof, and for all Bastila knew they were doing the same. Yuthura wanted them dead and refused to hear that then Bastila wasn't going to throw out good assets just to please her, which was souring their relationship.

Bastila was tired of all these petty intrigues. She wanted, she needed Revan to come back and restore order. It occurred to her that if she disappeared, that may trigger his return… And if he didn't, then she would be free to find him and discover why. She couldn't remain here any longer, not knowing. She was failing and betraying him doing that, but if she didn't then she would be putting their daughter and unborn son in danger.

As Bastila moped for days isolated in her battleship, she elaborated a plan, one that would reveal who her true friends were. And if it was successful, then Revan would be proud of her when he returned.


	2. Chapter 2 - Carth I

**Chapter 2 - Carth I**

 _Republic Battlecruiser_ Sojourn _, Patrolling the Hydian Way c. Taris_

Carth was woken up by his protocol droid. The holocom had been rigging for some time, and with the sleeping drugs he was taking he hadn't heard it. A direct, long-range call at this hour? If it was Telos again calling him for favors, then the bastards would pay dearly for interrupting his well-deserved and precious sleep.

But instead of President Huriss, the hologram of another acquaintance he had rather forgotten and never seen again lit up.

"Carth. It's been a long time. An Admiral, you've done well for yourself."

"What do you want, Bastila?" He asked, nervously. She had changed much since the last time she saw her, back on the Star Forge. She was fatter, her hair had grown very long, her face seemed livid and her eyes glowing from the Dark Side. She was wearing armored robes that looked just like Darth Revan's, with her double-bladed lightsaber hanging at her belt.

"I want to join the Republic. I will help you end the war in the Tapani sector, and protect the Republic from all who would defy her."

Carth took a moment to process what she just said. "Is that some kind of joke?" He asked in disbelief. After all she had done, she wanted back?

"The Jedi Order is in tatters, all the Jedi Masters are dead or in hiding." She shot back. "Now Revan is gone, and many Sith are convinced he will not return. They find no enemy so they fight among themselves. It can be a turning point for the Republic."

"What do you mean Revan is gone? Is he dead?" He asked. That was the big question the Republic was trying to figure out. He had seemingly disappeared months ago without leaving a trace.

"No, he lives still. A few months ago he broke the Jedi spell and his full memories returned. There is something he remembered in the Unknown Regions, a threat, bigger than the Republic. He went to fight it. But that's not the point here."

"What is this threat?" Carth asked, unable to make any sense of it. These strange blue humanoid aliens the Republic fleet encountered on their way to the Star Forge, perhaps?

"I don't know. Nobody knows, only Revan." She told him. "You may want to be on his side when he returns." She pressed.

"If he returns." Carth countered, not taking kindly to the veiled threat.

"You know what he's capable of." She countered, on a tone that sounded more like hope than certainty.

"Why are you not with him?"

"He couldn't bring me, because of our bond, besides…" She trailed. Carth guessed she had something to hide. A dispute between the two, perhaps? "I saved your life, did I not? I let you and Mission go free. You owe me that." She added.

"I don't owe you anything." He told her firmly. "You betrayed the Republic once. Even if we were to pardon you, how do I know you won't betray us again?"

"Because you need me just as I need you." She countered.

"No, I don't think so."

She shot him a dark glance. "I cannot handle this Sith Civil War." She admitted. "All the Sith Lords want to take my place as Revan's heir. I need to disappear, so they can start destroying each other for a change."

"This is your problem, not mine. I can wait until the Sith have all destroyed each other and spare myself the trouble of dealing with you." Carth countered.

"Don't be stupid, it won't work like that. How many Jedi Knights do you still have on your side? A hundred? Fifty? Not even that." She guessed, and she was quite correct. The peace Revan made with the Republic had forced the Jedi survivors of the last war to go into hiding, and he'd heard talks of a huge bounty placed on their heads. Some still helped the Republic, but they couldn't count on them as much as they did in the past. "Revan's secrets would be invaluable to you, and I can bring you up to a third of the Sith Army, my personal guard – thirty loyal Sith warriors – and the Star Forge." She added. "Without that, you cannot even hope to stand against whoever becomes the next Dark Lord on Korriban."

"If you're so powerful why don't you just invade the Republic yourself? Or carve yourself a nice kingdom here or there." He continued, testing her. "What's your angle here? Taking the Republic from within?"

"You're not listening." She said, her voice rising in exasperation, the word 'idiot' almost forming on her lips. "My enemies work against me in the shadow and I can't strike at one without exposing myself to be stabbed in the back. I've been watching you and I know it is the same for you – the Republic is too weak to protect even the mid rim. The Jedi are gone, those who call themselves Sith are a threat to both of us. We should work together." She insisted. "Times change and so must we."

"You didn't answer the question." Carth persisted. "What do you hope to get from this?"

"My life, isn't that enough?" She rebuked stubbornly. "If you don't want my help, then I will go to Mandalore. We'll see how that turns out for you then!" She threatened.

With that said, Carth was all but certain their former companion Canderous Ordo was the new leader of the clans. During their travels he and Bastila didn't seem to get along well, yet they were united in their respect and fascination for Revan. The last thing they needed was another Mandalorian horde with Battle Meditation this time, not to mention the matter of Star Forge.

"I will need leverage and a token of good will first." Carth conceded. Besides, he was curious to see where it was going – driving a wedge in the Sith ranks could only help the Republic.

"You already have my mother for leverage." She told him. Carth remembered the old hag all too well. As leverage, Ms Helena Shan wasn't worth much, Carth thought. She was being treated for an exotic virus at a second-rate clinic on Coruscant. Odds of her being cured were small, but last he checked her condition was stable. Mother and daughter weren't close, Bastila having been taken by the Jedi when she was four years old, and he doubted that as a Sith Lord she had found any affection for her. But then, Carth thought it was the best he could get. All that cursed woman ever had was power.

"I suppose that will do. What about your tribute? You better make it worth."

"I'll transmit you the coordinates of a planet where Revan has an army and factories in cold stasis." She told him after a moment. "They will serve you if you give them the right access codes."

Now, that was interesting, if it were true. "I'll pass it to the Supreme Chancellor. But I wouldn't count on help from us, if I were you." He told her in all honesty.

'I'll contact you again in one week, same hour." She said, seemingly satisfied. "Goodbye, Carth."

He didn't have the time to answer. There remained much he wanted to ask and needed to know. Bah, he thought, and went back to bed for a restless night. Tomorrow would be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3 - Carth II

**Chapter 3 – Carth II**

 _Republic Command Ship_ Visitor _, in orbit over Chazwa._

His direct superior Grand Admiral Dodonna had summoned him just after he had submitted his report, and by the phrasing of her message he wasn't expecting a commendation. Though Carth and her had a good working relationship she was still bitter over Revan and Bastila's treachery leading to the catastrophe over the Star Forge. The investigation had cleared him of all charges, but it had taken much to convince her to even trust him again, given he had sent the message leading the fleet into a trap.

What he now proposed bordered on insanity, he was aware. He'll probably be branded a Revanite agent again, as unfair as it was. In fact he wasn't even sure if he wanted to do this. Still, the foolish optimism in him wasn't dead. If what Bastila proposed was even remotely real then it was the right course of action. And Carth wouldn't pull it off without Dodonna's support.

He was led to the Admiral's quarters by her aide-de-camp, or rather his protocol droid, since the young man seemed to get lost on the gigantic ship easily. Inexpugnable-class command ships reflected the Republic nicely: gigantic, bloated, inefficient and defenseless, relatively speaking. He much preferred the Hammerheads, the strong workhorses of the Republic Navy, and the superb new Valor-class battlecruisers.

"Admiral Carth Onasi." The Lieutenant announced.

"Leave us." She ordered. "What's this about, Carth? You believe this?" She asked straight to the point.

"Not completely, but I believe we should investigate the matter, at least. You know how she is – prone to rash decisions, lacks vision, distrustful, even insecure. There may be something to exploit." Carth persisted.

"I know she is a sorceress with the power to cripple an entire army in fear. We've had to discharge half of the survivors of the Battle of the Star Forge for mental health issues." She retorted. By the state of her face, gaunt and crisped, anyone would understand why. Like him, she was probably not sleeping unless heavily sedated. "I understand this is a golden opportunity to get her, but she's not just another petty smuggler king siphoning fuel shipments."

"Yes, and there's dozens if not hundreds of Sith remaining out there, planning to pounce on us for all we know." He countered. "We know the Sith have been in disarray since Darth Revan disappeared, this may be an opportunity to find some way to undermine them, perhaps even start a civil war in their ranks. We can't let them consolidate for another war against the Republic."

The Grand Admiral thought for a moment. "Divide and conquer, hmm?"

"Have you checked the coordinates I sent you?" Carth pressed.

Some kind of smirk or grimace appeared on her face, and she took her datapad to show him a file. "M4-78 in the Inner Rim. It was initially supposed to be a paradise colony for the inner circle of some Duros religious sect. General Mon Halan dismantled them fifteen years ago and seized the planet for himself and his PMC."

Mon Halan was a Duros General that refused to back Revan's expedition in Mandalorian Space, but later defected to the Sith at the start of the ensuing Civil War. Carth didn't know if he was still alive – but they were on something big, it would seem. "And? Have you sent probes?"

"I gave the tip to Admiral Cede, he's looking into it. He's got friends in SIS, that's how he got the file." She explained. "What do you propose? Give her asylum on a distant uninhabited world where she can't cause any trouble, and listen to what she has to say – and terminate her if she pulls any dirty tricks?"

"Yes. No torture, blackmail, coercing or anything. You've met her, you know she talks a lot. She would be a kyber mine of information." He told her.

"What does she hope to get? Control of the Republic Army, taking the Republic from within?"

"Perhaps, I think we'll agree not to give her any chance of succeeding. I think her first objective is to fool the Sith Lords into civil war in order to lure Darth Revan into returning to restore order in his ranks. She wants Republic asylum because she can't trust anyone in her entourage, and we're still a power not one of the remaining Sith Lord can beat alone." He speculated. "Long-term, we can't trust her, but the short term benefits could be huge. I think we can grant her asylum for a few months, on a distant and unimportant world, and try to get as much information as we can from her, pretexting to defend ourselves from our common enemy."

"I can inform the Jedi. We could use their help with this." She said, confirming his suspicion that she was still in contact with them. He remembered a little green alien Jedi named Vandar was by her side during the Battle of the Star Fore; he wouldn't be surprised if he escaped Revan's inquisitors.

"Inform them but tell them not to interfere. She would sense danger ahead, like Jedi often do. We should only bring the Jedi in if she attack us, otherwise, she won't come." Carth told her.

"I will find an abandoned base we can use. You extract her. Find an officer you trust and hire a reputable crew, trap the transport with explosives. It would be best for the Republic if she appeared to die in an ambush, but that may be asking too much. Just don't screw this up."

"Understood. I won't." Carth promised.

"If we get her, we'll listen to what she has to say, and keep her in a… controlled environment. No coercing, as you say, but at the first sign of treachery we put her down, understood? And we keep the Jedi to deal with her if things start to spiral out of control." She summed up.

With all said and done, they bid each other farewell and Carth returned to his ship with a hopeful smile on his face. That went better than expected. They were on to something, he thought.

* * *

 _The next week. Republic Battlecruiser_ Sojourn _, in orbit over Chazwa._

The preparations were made hastily but everything was ready. His fleet group was fully refueled, armed and resupplied for the coming operation.

Carth hired the services of Dolan Tilcalar, the captain of a medium-sized freighter for the mission ahead. His old friend Jorgo, now a low-ranking executive for Czerka Corporation, had recommended him. They were professional, reliable and ready to undertake dangerous runs, he assured. Some in the crew were former army. However the fact that they didn't even bring up a contract form was a red herring they were in fact smugglers, but that suited Carth just fine.

He wondered how reliable they would be if they knew he what the cargo they would transport was and if they realized how close to suicide this mission was going to be. He told them needed an inconspicuous ship to extract a defector and 'special cargo' from the Sith Empire, and bring that to an abandoned mining station on a gas giant in a neighboring system. This 'special cargo' – enough explosives to blow a cruiser – would be recovered right before picking up Bastila along with Ensign Kyi, his co-conspirator on this.

Kyi would arm the explosives with a mechanical fuse set to explode in ten minutes. A remote control system on Carth's ship would allow him to reset the timer manually. If, for whatever reason, the situation on Tilcalar's ship went out of control then it would be reduced to space debris. Like Taris was, Carth thought with a heavy heart. Leading men into hopeless battles was one thing, using trickery and manipulation to take down an enemy was another. He didn't even have the cash to pay them at the end – they bargained for ten thousand credits, and would probably demand more – so Carth would have to leave them the explosives as compensation. If they were indeed smugglers, then it wouldn't be hard for them to resell them on the Black Market. And so he resolved to feel bad about the things he did for the greater good later.

As expected Carth's holocom rang and Bastila's hologram lit up on time. "Hello, Carth. Have you done your part?" She asked inquisitively.

"Yes. We're interested in what you have to offer." He answered simply. "I have hired a freighter to extract you, and my troops stand ready to cover. I would make it appear as if you've been killed in a raid against one of your pirate-admirals' bases – on Roche for instance."

"No, that's not going to happen." She interrupted, almost sneering. "If you do that, then the Sith will come right at you, Carth. The only reason they haven't crushed you already is because Revan sold them the idea that the Republic will just implode in a year. If you go picking a fight with them then they will unite and answer in kind, and you will be destroyed." She explained, irritated.

"I can disguise it as a Mandalorian attack." Ambushes between Republic, Sith, Mandalorians and mercenary forces were commonplace in the Outer Rim. If Bastila was as hated as she claimed then a false-flag attack would be unlikely to trigger a rally of the Sith against the Republic. "I can also let you handle this however you see fit, but I want to know every detail."

"I will make it look like a bold and stupid power monger turned on me, which will prompt his rivals to act in turn." She said. That left him with no control over the situation, which he and Dodonna won't like. He decided to trust she knew what she was doing however, and nodded. "And don't think for a minute I'm going to surrender to you just like that. I'm not going to be let myself be taken prisoner by anyone." She added, haughtily.

After having been the Black Vulkars and then Malak's prisoner, he could understand that. "You're not going to be a prisoner." He reassured. "We'll take you on a distant world so we can be sure the Sith aren't following or spying on us. We don't want them to know you're with us any more than you do. We'll take any help you offer to deal with our mutual enemies and reward you adequately." Carth countered, but she wasn't buying it.

"If you think you can control me, then you're going to have a bad time." She threatened, rising her voice.

"And if you think to trick and betray me again..." Carth began, now equally irritated.

"Things will be done my way, and you will do exactly as you're told!" She interrupted, almost screaming. "Once that is done, you will arrange an audience with the Supreme Chancellor for me, if you want your Republic to survive another year." She lashed out, and closed the communication to his face.

He took a deep breath and headed straight to the refresher. It annoyed him how she cut him off before discussing everything. He could not help but question Bastila's intentions again; no matter how he twisted it in his head, it didn't make sense. But then, that woman never made much sense in the first place. That deal was getting less and less attractive and it threatened to blow in his face.

He took a drink and contacted Dodonna to update her.

"Losing her temper is she? I'm going to take it as a good sign. We'll proceed as planned." She decided. "But it is far too early to get any approval from the Chancellor at that time. Perhaps if Bastila proves helpful, but not before."

"What do you mean 'perhaps'? You don't plan to keep this a covert operation, do you?"

"Any mistake now and our careers will go out of the airlock." She reminded him. "Since Revan, there is little trust between the Senate and the Armed Forces, you must have noticed. No need to give Cressa more incentive to put his greasy fingers in military affairs."

The Supreme Chancellor had been threading on unconstitutional grounds for a long time, by trying to control military affairs. The Lord Speaker of the Senate – the ceremonial president of the Republic – was the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, who most often devolved his authority in a Supreme Commander appointed by the Senate Defense Committee he headed.

The reasoning was because the Lord Speaker was elected for life by a college of one billion electors he was supposedly representing the people of the Republic at large (though in practice, urban Core Worlds concentrated about 80% of the votes, and calling that a transparent democratic process was a stretch) and his office would not be subject to the constant change of government or corrupted by private interests. History proved it was hardly ever the case.

The Supreme Chancellor was elected by the higher chamber of the Senate, the only one that mattered. No single party ever had a majority for the last thousand years, though Cressa came close; Coalition governments usually did not last very long. Revan's war had trounced the Chancellor's support, yet his rule endured as a minority cabinet. He blamed the woes of the Republic on the Speaker's choice to name Revan Supreme Commander at the start of the Mandalorian War, against the advice of the Jedi Order who supported Master Kavar.

Either way, Carth didn't really care. He had no mind for politics, and for all he knew Speaker and Chancellor were both corrupt and walled in narrow, insular thoughts in their palaces on Coruscant.

"Still, if we do something this big behind his back, we're not going to solve this situation." He reckoned.

"We've done nothing so far. Don't put your hopes too high, it may very well turn out to be a Sith bait." She reminded him.

"You're not reassuring me. The more this goes on, the more this whole plot feels like a bad idea." He told her frankly.

"I understand. I'll be lying to you if I told you I don't have doubts. But you got Bastila talking for a minute and we uncovered another Dxun right under our nose. She will be at our mercy the whole time, if she even dares to show up. Low risk, high payoff. We're doing it, Carth." She insisted. "Anything else to discuss?"

In his experience risk was far too often underestimated, especially when it involved Jedi and their unbelievable tendency to screw things up in a thousand parsecs around them. He didn't think Bastila capable of extremely elaborate plots, but she wasn't without a certain low cunning. Anyway, if she didn't want to collaborate with them they could just let her start her civil war and terminate her. She was a traitor after all. Revan may be pissed, if he still lived, if he even cared about Bastila at all, but he would be a problem for another day now. "I'm just telling you – I will press the button at the first sign of trouble." He resolved.

"Very well." She nodded. "I don't expect any less of you."

"Onasi, out." He saluted.

* * *

Hey guys, hope the wait wasn't too long. Here's another Carth chapter before the action kicks off.

After we're done with Bastila's first arc we'll have a quick look at what Revan and the Jedi have been doing, then we'll get to the Kotor2 story proper.


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